Hours that Last for Days
by Caffie
Summary: NOT an L/J. Infact, no ready established characters, except one mention ot a 'Malfoy scum', that, in fact, is neither Lucuis, not Draco, nor Narcissa. - - - - - Finished (? I think ?) - - - 1 Chapter - - - - -


**H o u r s t h a t L a s t f o r D a y s**

Author: Cattie Taylor

Rating: PG

Genre: Books Harry Potter General (unless Misery just became a genre)

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"Citel! Hey, Odius!"

I couldn't answer, I just couldn't. Instead, I concentrated on making my feet move faster, to get further away, to be anywhere else, anywhere but here.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

My boots were slapping off the cold stone floor so hard now, the sound filled my ears and deafened me.

Somewhere, a million miles away, I could hear a strangled sob, but I kept running.

I had to get to the dorm, I just had to. If I was in the dorm, everything would be fine. Just fine.

Besides, I couldn't very well let them see me cry now, could I?

"Password?" I faintly heard a soulless voice say, and I gasped out "mortia nexus", before throwing myself into the common room.

I looked quickly around, almost blinded by the stagnant tears in my eyes, then ran for my dormitory.

The door crashed behind me, and I threw myself on my bed, finally allowing the stinging tears to leak out from under my eyes.

The sobs wrenched through my body, my shoulders heaving, and my throat scratching with each gut-wrenching cry.

Eventually I raised my face from my sodden covers, and slid off my bed, heading for the joint dresser that I shared with Zarina Zambini.

Her make-up was strewn across the top, as ever. My make-up was packed away haphazardly in the third drawer down, but I wasn't looking for that.

No, instead I carefully slid out the second drawer, and reached into the back of it, pulling out a fairly small photo, of two young girls, no more than eight.

Both were laughing at a young boy, with messy brown hair, who was face down in a puddle in front of them, but laughing also, his gray eyes filled with humor.

The taller of the two girls had deep black hair, in loose, free waves cascading around her face, which was deeply tanned, with wide, innocent navy eyes. Not a single blemish marked her face, she was pretty even at the young age of eight

The smaller girl looked almost as if she would break under the weight of the other girls arm, which was slung over her shoulder. A pair of flashing aquamarine eyes peeked out form underneath lank, uncontrollable brown bangs. Her pale face filled with happiness, the deep shadows under her eyes, and the obvious weakness in her seemingly forgotten in mirth.

All of them waved uncontrollably to me, before once again falling over in laughter.

How I wish those days were back again, I wish I'd never come to Hogwarts.

It's an unusual wish, I know, but that's exactly all I will ever want.

Before Hogwarts, life was perfect.

A little wizarding town, only about ten houses there, and only 5 families, all wizards and witches, of course.

Two families with Hogwarts graduates, all passed with flying colours, from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw respectively.

The other three families, all with perfect little children, all the same age. Two girls, one boy, who all became firm friends.

Bryce Summers, with her dark, cascading waves for hair, and beautiful navy eyes, showed a great aptitude for magic at an early age. Clearly destined for great things, and a certain for Gryffindor, as her family had always been Gryffindors.

Jay Anders, very smart, with messy brown hair and understanding gray eyes. Always the butt of the girls jokes, but gave back as good as he got.

And Citel Odius, a small, often ill girl, who showed no extreme talents for magic, and no great brain for learning, but could fly like the wind. No one was sure which house was for her, but Ravenclaw and Gryffindor seemed to be pretty sure, after all, with a Gryffindor mother, and Ravenclaw father, why on earth should she be any different.

But I was different, and they all hated me for it.

I ventured a glance up at the mirror, sliding the photo back into the drawer, and what I saw almost made the tears start again.

My usually flat, shiny brown hair was a matted mess reaching down to my elbows, with my fluffy bangs dripping into my eyes. My face was pale, and ashen, with a slight tinge of gray to the edges. Deep, dark circles smudged around my eyes, which themselves were bloodshot and lackluster, the aquamarine almost completely drained, leaving them an almost flat, lifeless colour. My fingers picked habitually at my soaking robes, which hung off me like a wet sheet on a stick.

I was nothing special. Never have been, never will be.

I sat there for what seemed to be days, staring at my soaked, horrible reflection, my mind playing back the guffaws, and comments that came as I walked into the Great Hall, and suddenly felt the sticky wet water cascading down me.

I spared one second to look across at Bryce, and Jay, both sitting at the Gryffindor table today, surrounded by their friends, who were very popular also.

I stared, unnoticed for a few seconds, then Bryce made eye-contact with me, and allowed a smile to flit across her face.

But she wasn't smiling at me, a friendly, welcoming smile, oh, no, she was laughing at me, and not nicely either.

She then nudged Jay, and both of them turned to me, before Bryce calling out "Enjoy you bath?" and Jay smirking.

I then turned on my tail and ran, trying to force down the burning tears that had come at my previous friends cruel prank.

I wanted to do nothing more than run to my mother, and tell her all my troubles, at which she'd hold me, and whisper comforting words, before going to my father, who always had a good solution for every single problem I took to him.

But then I remembered. I couldn't write home, I had already disgraced them enough.

My next thought was to run to Headmaster Whitten, but I couldn't, Bryce was a love of all the teachers, with her 'harmless', 'get-back-at-people-who-hurt-her' pranks considered nothing worth punishing.

So I ran to my dorm. Only one person was following me anyways, probably that disgusting Malfoy scum, coming to laugh at me again.

Not even my room-mates would notice my absence, they always dismissed me without even a thought anyway.

"Hey, where'd that little girl go, you know, the one who got soaked?" 

"I dunno, probably off crying still"

"But it's been hours since breakfast! I mean, it's almost supper time!"

"Oh, never mind about her..."

Voices, down in the common room. I had to get out, so I pushed the drawer back shut, wiped my eyes again, and ran out, heading for the lake.

I managed to get there with no-one spotting me, not an unusual feat, I'm usually overlooked anyway, and I sat on the shore, the freezing water lapping against my feet and the hems of my robes, with my knees tucked up against my chest, eyes staring off into space.

Stars, I think I focused on them. Sirius, Taurus, Orion, Gemini, any constellation I could see, I named. With my only halfway decent subjects being Flying and Astronomy, what else could I do?

There I sat, for days that were seconds, weeks of minutes, and months of hours.

I sat, and the laughs bore into my soul, etching a dismal picture on my heart, and the photo of Bryce, Jay and I burned into my eyes, forcing scalding tears to form once more. One of which escaped and slid down my cheek, scratching it's freezing path down my face, before finally turning to ice upon touching my chin.

A boisterous set of laughs issued from eh great hall, and another tear slid down, followed by another, and another.

This was my usual pattern, this was my life.

All because I was different.

All because I was a Slytherin.


End file.
